I started reading up on the whole "loneliness pandemic" narrative because this seems like a literature where the age-period-cohort problem may be relevant (or maybe it isn't?). Here's data from Australia (HILDA), average agreement with the statement "I often feel very lonely" (SD of ca. 1.8).>

If you're able to do something about this - it sounds extraordinary to say, but genuinely millions of lives are at stake.

This is really heartening news, if it passes the US Senate. There are lots of questions about how this would work in practice given the shutdown of USAID, but it would restore funding to Gavi, the Global Fund, UNAIDS, and other lifesaving foreign aid programs.

Wooohooo, our podcast Hard Drugs now has listeners in 100 countries! 🥳 Now's the time to share that when we brainstorming the name, @jacobtref.bsky.social suggested adding the subtitle 'by two softies' 😆

Economists! I am looking for someone to coauthor an article on the massive decline in costs of genome sequencing. The science is all fine, but I'm interested in the economics of it all: the innovation, funding, prizes, patents, etc. Does anyone come to mind? Thanks!

Now every time I read a blogpost with headings in title case, I Become Very Suspicious about whether the author wrote any of it themself

In the PISCES trial involving participants receiving hemodialysis, fish oil (n−3 fatty acids) was compared with corn-oil placebo. The rate of serious cardiovascular events was lower with daily fish-oil supplementation. Full trial results: nej.md/49zWuqo @asnkidney.bsky.social | #KidneyWk

Applying for a visa when...

*day 356 of learning German* This is where I'm at right now.

New from @helenbranswell.bsky.social with a chart by me: the United States is now a global outlier when it comes to vaccines www.statnews.com/2026/01/09/c...

How I feel when people start reading Works in Progress magazine, Scientific Discovery, and listening to Hard Drugs

I know, I get that there are formatting standards, etc. etc. but there has got to be a better way of communicating results in a world where scientific publishing is primarily digital than what's happening in this paragraph...

Extremely well-written article on the first 230 years of vaccines, and on the technological advances (microbiological cultures, microscopy, genetic engineering) needed along the way to make all the modern vaccines possible!

Extraordinary contribution, a reference for us all - vaccines promise to be an even bigger part of the future than they have been in the past. And that’s saying something. Thankyou @scientificdiscovery.dev

Excellent read on the development of vaccines and the discovery of cell biology. The patience and hard work of researchers throughout history in order to benefit humanity is truly amazing.

The cost of sequencing a human genome has fallen over 100,000 fold in nominal terms since 2001. In a new visualization, I've added some of the key advances in sequencing during that timeline:

Here is a link to the article 1/7/26 Works in Progress Magazine by @scientificdiscovery.dev: The Golden Age of Vaccine Development worksinprogress.co/issue/the-go...

Read it here!

The gap between vaccination sentiment and what's possible with vaccine technology is incredibly sad. We are living through a golden age of vaccine development. By turning away from investing in them, we risk losing out on many breakthroughs around the corner.

NEW article by me! We can now visualize pathogens down to atoms; design vaccines in weeks; manufacture them in microbial factories; engineer them more precise than ever before. We're living through a golden age of vaccine development, but only if we continue to invest in them.

More vaccines, less antigens: As scientists have moved to subunit vaccines, the number of antigens in childhood vaccines has fallen sharply. Children receive more vaccines today, but fewer and more targeted antigens than they did back in 1900 – when only the smallpox vaccine was widely available.

The resolution of microscopes has increased over 10,000 fold over the last 200 years. It's allowed scientists to examine not only cells, but bacteria, then viruses, their protein structure, and, eventually, the individual atoms that comprise them.

NEW article by me! We can now visualize pathogens down to atoms; design vaccines in weeks; manufacture them in microbial factories; engineer them more precise than ever before. We're living through a golden age of vaccine development, but only if we continue to invest in them.

Good thread. I'd add that you need to know (or assume) what the true effect size is, to make a claim about who's biased. There's an implicit assumption that the average effect, or the one found by moderates, is accurate, but that might not be the case.

The report accompanying the new vaccine schedule repeatedly refers to the vaccine schedule as mandated, and coercive. That's patently false, it is a set of recommendations. The authors may be trying to get at school entrance requirements, but those are state policies, not federal.

I don't think it's true (or helpful) to say that Denmark recommends fewer vaccines because their healthcare system can treat the diseases better. The trend is for countries to move to universal recommendations over time. Some countries do it much earlier than others.

Here it is compared across countries instead, with rotavirus as an example: Denmark is one of very few western countries that doesn't recommend rotavirus vaccines universally (yet?)

Please share - @pewresearch.org wants to hire a data archivist who will be an advocate for data users, helping to ensure that our datasets are easy to discover and reuse by researchers, journalists, and the public. pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...

Here it is compared across countries instead, with rotavirus as an example: Denmark is one of very few western countries that doesn't recommend rotavirus vaccines universally (yet?)

Denmark's vaccinations vs the United States's: Most of their vaccines eventually became universal recommendations, though much more slowly than in the US.

With today's announcement by HHS proposing changes to the US childhood vaccine schedules, it's more important than ever to be pushing states and pediatricians to commit to following data-driven vaccine schedules like the ones from @ameracadpeds.bsky.social downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/AAP-...

I can’t fully articulate the way my stomach dropped when I saw this headline. Please know the evidence has not changed. The people in charge have changed, and they did not consult any relevant experts or the public. “This new policy has not been vetted with pediatricians, the public, or the ACIP”

gift link. this will be challenged in court

Hey cardiovascular people! What are the best sources you'd recommend on understanding cholesterol metabolism, or the history of research on it? (academic books, slides, etc.) More detailed = better, but starting with the basics. Thanks!

Hey cardiovascular people! What are the best sources you'd recommend on understanding cholesterol metabolism, or the history of research on it? (academic books, slides, etc.) More detailed = better, but starting with the basics. Thanks!

How likely is ‘likely’? Does ‘likely’ have a higher probability than ‘probable’? I put together a quick quiz so you can see how you interpret probability phrases, then see how you compare with others: probability.kucharski.io

Most confusing genre these days - viral blogposts critical of AI which are themselves clearly written by AI.

>1 year into learning German, I'm still translating people's surnames in my head when I read them. Look out, especially those of you with amusing/nominative deterministic surnames.

The IHME just revised their 2023 estimates for mortality in sub-Saharan Africa upward by 87% for ages 5-14, and 60%+ higher for women 15-29, after replacing their old model life table with data from demographic surveys... 😳

The chickenpox vaccine provides wide societal benefit by preventing not just chickenpox but also shingles!

Broke - arranging your books by colour Woke - arranging your books by height

Random curiosity, but I wonder if there are biological reasons that kids are more often picky eaters. Do they produce less salivary enzymes? Or have a stronger gag reflex? etc. Because I used to be pretty picky, but now I'm very easily satisfied and like a lot of foods that used to make me gag.

This online, PhD-level course in the economics of innovation is a huge opportunity. Taught by some of the world's top scholars on this: @heidiwilliams.bsky.social, Chad Jones, Azoulay, van Reenen, many others! Co-sponsor @ifp.bsky.social If you're admitted, it's free. Applications due January 9th!

Thinking about how, roughly 5 years ago when I'd started my PhD, my dad said to me “You know, you don't sound like a scientist - I can actually understand what you're saying.”

In 1998, Americans expected more to have changed by 2025 than has actually changed. We often overestimate how quickly the world changes. From the latest issue of The Update, where I also cover ten other stories (next post). theupdatebrief.substack.com/p/why-is-cri...

The Dutch Health Council advised against default chickenpox vaccination in 2020. Meanwhile 95% of children in NL get infected by age 6 and ~250 are hospitalised per year. You could cut that number by 99%, prevent all young deaths, protect older people, AND save money! Just mind-boggling

This is excellent news. Paid for it for the youngest - and it was some of the best money I’ve ever spent. The eldest two acquired their immunity the old fashioned way.

This is great news (great stuff in the thread as to why, too):

Woohoo! Chickenpox vaccines are on the menu in the UK - finally!! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This blogpost, by my friend Sam on his trip to Taiwan, is so interesting about many little tidbits of Taiwanese culture. Highly recommended for all Wikipedia rabbit hole diggers. open.substack.com/pub/thefitzw...